Monthly Archives: March 2016

Meditation on the Unborn Lord

Posted on March 14, 2016 by Vajragoni

5.6 Renunciation is difficult to attain without the disciplinary-action of yoking with the Unborn Lord. Yet by the practice of this yogic-discipline the muni shall quickly reach Divine Union. read more

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Return of the Unborn Gita

Posted on March 13, 2016 by Vajragoni

After a long hiatus we will now resume our study and version of the Bhagavad Gita in Light of the Unborn. When will this series be completed? Unknown. The Gita is epic in scope and we will continue now at a pace that is to be determined and embodied in a time of its own making. read more

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Chinul on Pure Land

Posted on March 8, 2016 by Vajragoni

Chinul found the Pure Land practice of his time to be embraceable, provided that it was based upon one’s “own Buddha-mind”. Chinul followed Sŏn Master Yen-shou’s admonition, “If the mind is known, then one is born in the mind-only pure land.” read more

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Hwadu

Posted on March 6, 2016 by Vajragoni

Chinul’s last “great awakening” occurred at Sangmuju am, near the top of the Mount Chiri—here, [suddenly] he was taken by reading Ta-hui Tsung-kao’s rendering of the hua-t’ou (K. hwadu) method: read more

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Universal Brightness

Posted on March 3, 2016 by Vajragoni

Universal Brightness

Chinul’s “second-awakening” involved his fusion with Hwaŏm (Hua-yen Buddhism): read more

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Samādhi and Prajñā

Posted on March 1, 2016 by Vajragoni

The key to Chinul’s variety of Sŏn Buddhism revolves around three distinct styles of practice that was directly influenced through “three enlightenment experiences.” Firstly, there is the balanced equation of samādhi and prajñā–all derived from a transformative experience involving the Platform Sutra; secondly, there was complete faith and transcendent knowing according to the sudden teachings of the Hwaŏm school, from Li Ti’hung-hsüan’s Exposition of the Avataṃsaka Sütra; thirdly, he utilized a shortcut approach of the hwadu (koan-like) applications, from the Records of Ta-hui. Each will be examined separately. read more

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